North America December 2012: Polyethylene still stable / PP tending upward / PVC and PS take a breather/ January cost hikes drive producers' calls for increases / Engineering thermoplastics' demand still poor

摘要

North American polyethylene prices remained largely stable in December 2012. PIE cooperation partner RTi (Fort Worth, Texas / USA; www.resinpros.com) says the month was comparatively quiet, adding that prices of freely traded spot material even rose slightly. Converters' hopes for rebates were thus dashed. By contrast, thanks to strict output restrictions, producers were able to lend more weight to their price calls for early 2013, which average USD 115/t (about EUR 90/t).